The Football Panel

18/02/2024

It’s full crisis mode at Bayern Munich! 🚨

Another loss, a third in a row, this time away at Bochum 3-2! 😳

Following their “title decider” loss to Bayer Leverkusen and the first leg loss to Lazio, Bayern lose again as they enter a dark tunnel and period.

Thomas Tuchel should probably be sacked considering his predecessor Nagelsmann was fired for far less reasons and with better results to show. Tuchel has clearly issues with the upper management as well as with some players, and he seemed weird and lost in his recent interviews.

Also Dayot Upamecano was sent off for the second game in a row 🟥 Harry Kane did score today, his 25th Bundesliga goal, but he missed a glorious easy chance when the score was 1-0 for Bayern which could have changed the course of the game! 😬

Leverkusen, who won again yesterday, are now 8 points ahead of Bayern with 12 games remaining. The dream is getting closer for Xabi Alonso’s team 🫠💭

17/02/2024

Arsenal on fire! 🔥🤩

Another big win on the road following the 6-0 at West Ham. This time it was away in Burnley 5-0! It’s also their 5th consecutive win.

Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard have been the standout stars so far this season 💫 with 15 goals and 13 assists for Saka (in all competitions) and 8 goals and 6 assists for the norwegian 🇳🇴 wizard 🪄

But also Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Trossard and the defensive duo Gabriel & Saliba have all been great as well.

Arsenal are still in contention for the PL title and are in the round of 16 of the CL as well.

The news of a potential Mbappe scoop (though difficult) should come as no surprise. These are some exciting times for the Gunners and the Arteta project could be very successful in the coming years 🏆🥇

17/02/2024

Great away win for Liverpool in Brentford 4-1.

Some good news for the Reds with Salah back in action, scoring and assisting. The Egyptian king 👑 has now 15 goals and 9 assists during this PL season.

But also some bad news today as Jota and Curtis Jones sustained injuries 🤕 They join an already long list of absentees for Klopp’s men that includes Alisson, Thiago, Alexander-Arnold and Szoboszlai 😖

13/02/2024

Important away wins for Real Madrid and Manchester City as the Champions League round of 16 kicks off.

Real won in Leipzig 1-0 thanks to a beautiful Brahim Diaz goal, in a game that was quieter than expected especially in the first half.

Leipzig probably deserved more from the game - a draw at least - but Real eventually used their experience and individual quality to win. Also Lunin 🇺🇦 was amazing tonight and saved many shots. He will eventually replace Courtois in the near or long future.

But we have to note one incident that could have changed the course of the game and made it more interesting. Leipzig scored a goal in the first few minutes that was probably wrongly disallowed by the referee. It wasn’t clear exactly why the goal was ruled out, an offside or a foul, as VAR apparently didn’t intervene!

The return leg will be most probably more open and with more goals and Real will be clear favorites to qualify.

Elsewhere City came back from the difficult ground of Copenhagen with a crucial 3-1 win that puts them on course for a 1/4 final qualification. Foden and De Bruyne combined for a goal and an assist each 🤝

12/02/2024

Two great games for Chelsea and two 3-1 away wins!

The first was more important as they eliminated the strong Aston Villa last week from the FA Cup.

And today they won in the last minutes at Crystal Palace in the PL.

Conor Gallagher scored two crucial goals today as the Blues came from behind to win. He also scored last week at Villa Park 💫

And Enzo Fernandez 🇦🇷 added a goal today to his beautiful free kick goal against Aston Villa last week.

Good back-to-back wins for Chelsea but the pressure will remain on Pochettino and the team. They are still in 10th place way behind the top 4.

Next up another away game at Man City 😬👀

11/02/2024

Congratulations to Ivory Coast 🇨🇮 on winning the Afcon 2023 after beating Nigeria 2-1! 🏆🥳

What a route it has been for the hosts, who started the tournament very slowly and were nearly eliminated but then turned it around from the knockouts onwards. They even sacked their manager after the first round and continued the rest of the tournament with his assistant Emerse Faé who led them to wins over holders Senegal, Mali, DR Congo and now Nigeria! 👏

This is Ivory Coast’s third Afcon title as they equal Nigeria’s number of titles. Egypt is still the record holders with 7 continental titles.

10/02/2024

Leverkusen! 🤩🤯

They beat Bayern Munich 3-0 in the biggest game of this Bundesliga season, to go 5 points clear at the top of the table!

The much anticipated game was surprising and not as expected, with Leverkusen dominating most of the match and Bayern having one of their worst and quietest games in some time. The bavarians never really threatened Leverkusen who managed to totally contain them.

Also Tuchel’ setup was poor on the night and his substitutions not much better as Xabi Alonso totally won this tactical matchup 🧠👏

It’s now a reality to see Leverkusen winning the league in what would be one of the biggest upsets in recent times in the “top five” european leagues. They just have to keep their cool and play their game in the remaining 13 matches.

Also in Spain, Real thrashed fellow contenders Girona 4-0 with Vinicius, Bellingham and Rodrygo running the show. The only negative and worrying thing of the night for Real is Bellingham’s injury. Ancelotti has brilliantly managed the season so far without his main center backs (Rudiger was also injured today) and without a real striker but Bellingham’s injury would be a bigger blow 😖

Real are now 5 points ahead of Girona and can cruise to the Liga title.

10/02/2024

Qatar are Asia’s champions! 🥳🏆🥇

The hosts of the Asian Cup 2023 beat Jordan 3-1 in the final to claim their second title in a row!

All three of Qatar’s goals were scored from the penalty spot, and all three converted by the tournament’ star Akram Afif who finished as top scorer with 7 goals! 💫

Jordan fought well and missed a lot of chances but they lacked the composure and experience of such finals and “gifted” Qatar three unnecessary penalties. But still it has been a historic cup for them 🇯🇴 and an amazing achievement. They will hope to build on it in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

As for winners Qatar, it has been a great period of time for this generation and for qatari football in general. It’s their second asian cup title (in a row) following 2019 and in between they hosted an amazing World Cup. They are starting to establish themselves as one of Asia’s powerhouses along with the usual “Big Five” South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Australia.

07/02/2024

It will be Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria in the Afcon final!

Hosts Ivory Coast just beat DR Congo 🇨🇩 by a single goal scored by Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller 🙌

It’s an amazing turn of events for the hosts who only got out of the group stages as the fourth best 3rd placed team! 😵

While earlier Nigeria eliminated South Africa on penalties.

The game ended in a crazy way. Nigeria were leading by a goal and thought they’d scored a crucial second goal in the final minutes, but Osimhen’s goal was turned down by VAR and instead a penalty was given to South Africa! 🫨 The Bafana Bafana 🇿🇦 scored it to equalize and the game went into extra time!

But the Super Eagles 🇳🇬 eventually triumphed on penalties with Leicester City striker Iheanacho scoring the decisive last kick.

Nigeria will be aiming to win its 4th title on Sunday while Ivory Coast 🇨🇮 want to claim their third Afcon title and will be cheered by a big home fanbase at the Olympic stadium in Abidjan.

07/02/2024

Qatar joins Jordan in an all arabic Asian Cup final! 🤝

The hosts and winners of the previous edition 🇶🇦 beat Iran 3-2 after a grueling tight contest which went into 16 minutes of added stoppage time at the end! 😮‍💨😤

The game had everything, from a penalty to a red card to a VAR consultation, and saw Iran take a quick lead after 4 minutes before Qatar turned it around to lead 2-1 by halftime.

An early equalizer for the iranians in the second half was followed by them controlling the match and missing some dangerous chances before the home team scored the winner in the 82nd minute against the flow of the game. But at the end, both teams missed some glorious chances to add to the scoreline!

Here we have to salute a special player, Akram Afif, who has been one of the stars (if not The star) of the tournament. Today he added a goal and an assist to reach 5 goals and 3 assists in the tournament. 27 year-old Afif definitely has the talent and quality to play in one of Europe’s top leagues 💫

Jordan ⚔️ Qatar will face off on Saturday in an amazing final at Lusail stadium 🏟️ which hosted the Argentina - France famous final 🫠 Will it be Qatar’ second asian title (in a row) or Jordan’s first ever?!

06/02/2024

Jordan! 🇯🇴🥳🤩

A historic win and achievement as they reach the Asian Cup final after beating the giants South Korea 2-0! 👏🤯

The Jordanians totally deserved this win as they had the better performance and the more dangerous chances. The attacking duo Yazan Al Nuaimat and Musa Al Taamari in particular have been great during this whole tournament and again combined greatly today 🤝
Taamari - who plays with Montpellier in Ligue 1 - scored a beauty of a goal today 😍⚽️ He was the first jordanian ever to move to a “top 5” league last summer and has already scored in Ligue 1 with his new club 💫

As for South Korea, they didn’t perform too well in this tournament despite reaching the semis. They needed stoppage time equalizers in previous rounds and narrowly escaped elimination. But today their weaknesses were exposed especially with the absence of Bayern defender Kim Min-jae through suspension. Jürgen Klinsmann failed to lead the country 🇰🇷 to their first continental title since 1960! A dream that keeps eluding them and a “curse” that hasn’t been broken since, despite them always having amazing teams and players and constantly qualifying to the World Cup.

04/02/2024

Derby night!

In Spain, a late late goal for Atletico ruins Real’s night and celebrations at the Bernabeu as Diego Simeone’ side snatches an important point.

It was the third meeting between the Madrid neighbors in just a few weeks, with Real triumphing in the super cup and then Atletico eliminating them from the Copa del Rey.

Real are still leaders of La Liga table, 2 points ahead of Girona and 8 ahead of Barcelona.

While in Italy, a very important win for Inter Milan against their rivals Juventus in the Derby d’Italia.

Inter were generally better and deserved the win. They are now 4 points ahead of Juve at the top of the Serie A table and with a game in hand, which means Inter could be cruising at the top this season.

04/02/2024

Arsenal 3 - 1 Liverpool

A very important and deserved win for the Gunners against the Reds, that brings them back into the title race!

Arsenal were better overall and had the better chances and were more hungry for the win. While Liverpool had a poor game in general with van Dijk and Alisson combining for an awful mistake for Arsenal’s crucial second goal while also Konaté was sent off at the end 😬

The difference between the two at the top is now only 2 points for Liverpool, while also Man City can go top if they win their two games in hand. It’s a three-horse race now for the PL title 🐎🏁

03/02/2024

Qatar ⚔️ Iran it will be in the second semi final of the Asian Cup!

The Iranians eliminated Japan in a kind of surprise, after winning 2-1 thanks to a late late penalty scored by Feyenoord player Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

It’s true that Iran are one of the best teams in Asia and always considered one of the main favorites to win this competition, but Japan were the heavy favorites coming into this Asian Cup considering their form in the last year or so.

But the Samurai team 🇯🇵 disappointed in this tournament and didn’t perform too well, losing to Iraq in the first round and now exiting from the quarter finals.

While Iran’s dream continues. They haven’t won the Asian Cup since 1976! 😮

Meanwhile hosts Qatar qualified thanks to a penalty shootout win over Uzbekistan after drawing 1-1 in the game.

03/02/2024

Wins for Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich before their much anticipated game next weekend! ⏳

Leverkusen easily beat Darmstadt 2-0 thanks to two goals by Nathan Tella 🇳🇬 They are (still) unbeaten in all competitions this season! 😮‍💨🤯

While Bayern Munich had it a bit more difficult, as they turned their 0-1 deficit into a late 3-1 win. Harry Kane continued his extraordinary season, scoring his 24th goal in the Bundesliga and equaling Luca Toni’s record 🇮🇹 of most goals scored in the league in a first season with Bayern.

The difference at the top is 2 points for Leverkusen as they prepare to host Bayern next weekend! 😬💥

02/02/2024

It will be South Korea versus Jordan in the first semifinal of the Asian Cup! 🇰🇷 ⚔️ 🇯🇴

South Korea did another amazing comeback against Australia following an almost similar scenario versus Saudi Arabia.

The Koreans were again trailing by a goal until deep into stoppage time, when they got a penalty and equalized in the 90+6 minute! Australia were minutes away from a semi final place 💔

But South Korea didn’t wait until the penalty shootout this time, with Tottenham star and captain Heung-min Son scoring a beautiful free kick in extra time to secure the win for his country.

Meanwhile Jordan beat earlier the surprise package Tajikistan by a single goal.

The Jordanians are having a historic tournament as they have now reached the semifinals for the first time in their history! 👍

31/01/2024

A heartbreaking exit for Syria 🇸🇾 from the Asian Cup following a historic tournament for them!

They should be proud 👏 especially of their strong game and performance tonight, going toe to toe with the strong Iran 🇮🇷 and eventually only losing on penalties 😓

The game in its regular and extra times finished 1-1, with Iran more in possession while Syria defended well and counterattacked. The Syrian keeper in particular was brilliant in his many saves 🧤

But in the penalty shootout, Iran scored all of its five kicks while Syria missed one as the shootout ended (5-3).

Good work for the experienced manager Hector Cuper 🇦🇷 and his staff with the Syrian national team.

While the Iranians will have a very tough game next against the strong favourites Japan. It will be even harder for Iran without their main star Mahdi Taremi. The Porto striker was sent off today 😬🟥

31/01/2024

The Afcon has been really wild this year 🫨 with South Africa 🇿🇦 achieving the latest surprise yesterday night by eliminating World Cup semifinalists Morocco! In fact all 8 quarterfinalists this year are different than the previous 8 in the last tournament!

Here’s the 1/4 final setup and road to the final. Nigeria and Ivory Coast are probably the two most “prominent” teams left in the tournament but more surprises could happen and a new winner could be on the cards.

30/01/2024

A grueling contest between two asian superpowers that ends in penalties! 😤

South Korea 🇰🇷 beat Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 on penalties (4-2) following a 1-1 game that went into extra time.

The Saudis will feel heartbroken especially that they led by a goal until deep into stoppage time, with the korean equalizer coming in the 90+9 minute! 💔

Saudi Arabia were better for most of the game, and South Korea really woke up in the last 10 mins or so and missed many dangerous chances. The Saudi keeper was brilliant with many saves tonight while his korean counterpart was the hero in the penalty shootout, saving two kicks.

It was also a nice showdown between two footballing icons, Roberto Mancini and Jürgen Klinsmann 🤩 and a nice tactical battle between the two 🧠📝

Saudi Arabia exits the Asian Cup which they haven’t won since 1996! While South Korea marches on to the 1/4 finals in the hunt for their first title since 1960! 😲

30/01/2024

Senegal are out!

The reigning champions are eliminated from the AFCON after a dramatic game that went into extra time and penalties against hosts Ivory Coast 🇨🇮

Senegal 🇸🇳 scored an early goal in the 4th minute and everybody thought this will be a big and easy win for them considering their previous strong form and the shaky results for the home side in this tournament including a 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea a week ago.

But Ivory Coast stood firm and were better tonight than in their previous games. Their hero was ex-Barca and Milan midfielder Franck Kessie who scored two crucial penalties: the equalizing goal in the 86th minute and the final penalty in the shootout to earn his nation a place in the quarters in front of a jubilant home crowd in the political capital Yamoussoukro. Kessie scored the two penalties against his current teammate at Al Ahli ex-Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy! 😬👋

29/01/2024

Hardluck to Palestine 🇵🇸 for being eliminated from the Asian Cup after losing to hosts and holders Qatar 2-1 in the round of 16! They did a great job in this tournament and should be proud 👏

Akram Afif was again the main man for Qatar, assisting the first goal and scoring the second. He has 4 goals so far in the competition.

While earlier we had a crazy game between Iraq and Jordan.

Iraq were leading 2-1 until the 94th minute before Jordan scored two goals in stoppage time to win it 3-2! 😮😵‍💫

Also the game had a controversial incident when Iraq’ striker and top scorer of the tournament Aymen Hussein (6 goals) received a second yellow card (a red card) for what the referee considered “excessive” celebration after scoring Iraq’ second goal! 😬😳

Jordan and Qatar join Australia and Tajikistan as the first four in the 1/4 finals.

28/01/2024

Egypt 🇪🇬 are out of afcon 2023! 😰

The Pharaohs lost on penalties to Congo DR following a 1-1 game that went into extra time.

It has been a rather disappointing tournament for Egypt, who failed to win a single game!

DR Congo book a 1/4 final place against Guinea while Nigeria will play Angola.

28/01/2024

Bayern Munich sign Sacha Boey from Galatasaray.

The 23 year-old french right-back 🇫🇷 signs a long term contract until 2028 and will be a much needed addition for Die Roten considering their thin squad and many injuries and absentees.

27/01/2024

Wow 😮 Barcelona…another loss! 🤕😖

It was a rollercoaster of a game at home against Villarreal.

Barça had a catastrophic first hour, and were trailing by two goals. But then they made a nice comeback charged by Gundogan’s experience and leadership to turn back the game and lead 3-2!

Here everyone thought Barça made it, especially that it was the last 5 mins or so of the match. But another turn of events happened as the Yellow Submarines scored not once, not twice but three times at the end of the game to record a memorable 5-3 win! 🫨💨

Barcelona’s defensive woes continued today, with some Villarreal goals scored thanks to awful and shambolic defensive errors! 🫢

Xavi’s tenure with the Blaugrana enters a rough and critical period, and his time at the club could be in danger, now or at the end of the season.

With Real’s win earlier, the difference at the top between the two giants is now 10 points.

26/01/2024

A bombshell from England as Jürgen Klopp announces he will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season! 😟😢

Jürgen Klopp has announced his decision to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the current season, having informed the club’s ownership of his wish to leave his position when the 2023-24 campaign comes to a close.

25/01/2024

The group level of Asian Cup 2023 has ended. The round of 16 matches will be as follows:

Tajikistan x UAE

IRAQ x Jordan 😮‍💨

Australia x Indonesia

Saudi Arabia x South Korea 🔥

IRAN x Syria 😬

Bahrain x Japan

Palestine x Qatar 🧐

Uzbekistan x Thailand

25/01/2024

With the group stage ending yesterday in the Afcon 2023, the round of 16 matches are now known:

- Nigeria x Cameroon 🔥

- Angola x Namibia

- Cape Verde x Mauritania

- Morocco x South Africa

- Mali x Burkina Faso

- Senegal x Ivory Coast 🔥

- Egypt x DR Congo

- Equatorial Guinea x Guinea

Some major teams were eliminated, with the biggest surprises being 2019 winners Algeria, 4-time winners Ghana and Tunisia as well.

24/01/2024

Bilbao! 👏

They eliminate Barça from the Copa del Rey following a memorable night and match that went into extra time.

Athletic eventually won 4-2 with the Williams brothers (Inaki and Niko) leading the charge 🤝 and starring 💫 in front of an amazing crowd and loud atmosphere at San Mames 🗣️

Lamine Yamal missed a crucial chance when the score was 2-2 just before the end of regular time, which could have won Barcelona the tie.

It was also a special night and win for Ernesto Valverde who beat his old club Barcelona.

Girona were also surprisingly eliminated from the cup following a 3-2 loss in Mallorca! 😳

23/01/2024

Another major surprise in the Afcon as Algeria are eliminated from the group stage! 😖

They finish bottom of group D following a loss to Mauritania!

This is Algeria’ second group stage exit in a row from an Afcon. While this was Mauritania’s first ever win in the competition’s history! 👏

Confirmed teams to qualify for the round of 16 so far are: Nigeria, Cameroon, Angola, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea.

23/01/2024

Palestine! 🇵🇸😍

They win 3-0 against Hong Kong in their final group match and guarantee qualification to the next round as one of the best 3rd place teams 🥳

An amazing achievement especially considering the current very tough circumstances 💪

Also UAE 🇦🇪 make it to the round of 16 thanks to a late goal against Iran. They lost 2-1 but that goal meant they finished 2nd in the group behind Iran who topped the group with a full mark (3 wins).

Earlier, also a great achievement for Syria 🇸🇾 who won against India and qualified as one of the best 3rd place teams. Both Syria and Palestine make it for the first time ever to the round of 16.

Syria will meet Iran in the next round 👀😬